There are so many more options today to consider when planning a radio campaign than ever before. From terrestrial AM and FM radio to Satellite, Streaming, Personalized Radio Services and Podcasts, there’s a variety of options to fit almost every budget.

A couple of months ago, Google introduced a new feature to their search results and ads. Google +1 is an attempt to bring a social component to searching. Here’s how it works. When you are signed into your Google account, your search results will have a +1 icon next to each link.

Small agencies also make the client an integral part of the creative process. I was part of every brainstorming session. Since I lived the business day in and day out, my opinion was recognized, acknowledged and requested, not as a courtesy but as a starting point for any planning discussion and throughout the process.

Part of the reason Stern gets away with it all is Stern's brutal honesty. He’s direct and candid, rarely editing subject matter or choice of language. That, and the fact that the show just happens to be funny. Stern is an extraordinary interviewer, with a rapid-fire style of questioning that keeps guests off balance which invariably unearths a very private, usually fascinating side to the guest on the hot seat.

We often spend a lot of time with our reps not negotiating, but explaining to them how we want to run the campaign and our expectations from them.
We share our clients’ goals with them so that they know what kind of results we expect from the campaign.

Three rows from the stage for Steve Winwood? This was close. Warren Zevon opened and he was in full-one-man band mode. Mr. Winwood played everything I wanted to hear plus. What keeps this from being the “best” is the ….gentleman….seven or eight rows back yelling “Nighttrain” every five seconds. Seriously? Out of Steve Winwood’s entire catalogue THAT’S the one you’re gonna go with? That’s his “Freebird?” Umm…no.

Given the time of year, the public’s familiarity with the brand, and availability of media properties we feel would work, we may need anywhere from four to twelve weeks to properly test all of the best options for a particular product or service.

So - what is the magic number for an effective, direct response radio test? $50,000 to $100,000, minimum, over a four-to-six-week period. If you can commit a larger number to a longer test, that increases the odds for success by giving you time to prove what you've learned in the first six weeks and then optimizing the campaign into profitability.